Michael Thompson, Industrialist and Horse Breeder
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Michael Thompson was born in Birmingham, England on 9th March 1943. After an elementary education he left school when he was 15 and became an apprentice at the Metropolitain Carriage and Wagon Company, England. This company, no longer in existence, was one of the largest manufacturers of trains in the world.
This was the start of his fascination with trains, a 'bug' he has never recovered from.
In 1985 he set up his own business, Arrowvale Electronics, Redditch, England, now a thriving enterprise, culminating in the company being awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2001 for the development of a Train Data Recorder, in effect similar to the 'black box' fitted in aeroplanes.
Mr. Thompson is also the owner and Managing Director of AVE Rail Products, Derby, England, with branches in Germany and China. AVE manufacture some of the interior fittings in the Pendolino trains, including the Virgin train which crashed at Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, in February 2007. The train was derailed, several carriages rolled down the embankment. According to experts, the superior design of the train mitigated what could have been a major disaster. Tragically, one person died.
Michael Thompson's passion for steam engines led him to purchase a 10 1/4 gauge model of the Flying Scot and the model will soon be seen steaming around his garden near Bromsgrove, England. His other enduring pastime is ski-ing in the Austrian Tyrol, where he is a part time ski instructor. He is a former active member of Olton Cricket Club, Solihull, captain and fast bowler.
His visits to the Tyrol led to his introduction to Haflinger horses, a beautiful and hardy breed well used to the rigours of an Austrian winter. Michael has imported a number of the horses to England, where he has successfully bred from them at his stables known as 'Bentley Haflingers'.
category:Trains category:Haflinger (horse)
